Thousands of ordinary people are bearing the brunt of a six-month blockade imposed on Qatar by neighbouring Arab states, especially through forced separation, according to a new report released by the Amnesty International.

The human rights group called on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to lift the blockade in order to end a series of ‘arbitrary restrictions’ on families, many of which have been divided as a result of the Qatar-Gulf crisis, reported Al Jazeera.

During a visit to Qatar late last month, the organisation interviewed 44 affected individuals and met with officials from the Qatari Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, as well as the National Human Rights Committee to assess the human rights impact of the political crisis.

“Since this dispute began in June, our fears about its potential to rip families apart have been cruelly and emphatically realised, as measures imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have violated the rights of ordinary people from across the region,” said Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research for the Middle East at Amnesty International.

“In that time the authorities in these countries have made little genuine effort to alleviate the suffering of those affected, including many mixed families facing traumatic separations. Perhaps most worryingly of all, there is no sign of a solution in sight,” Amnesty said in a detailed statement yesterday.

Despite measures to allow families in mixed marriages to visit, many were finding it difficult to comply with procedures required to apply for a ‘laissez-passer’ that allows residents of Qatar to travel to see loved ones in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain or the UAE, Gulf Times quoted the report as saying.

But it said there was scant, or no, information about the application process on official UAE and Saudi ministry websites, while travel to Bahrain had become more difficult since Manama imposed an entry visa requirement for Qatari nationals and residents at a time when the embassy in Doha is closed.

“Affected families told Amnesty International that hotlines announced by Bahrain, Saudi Arabian and UAE governments were difficult to access,” the rights watchdog said.

Amnesty also called on Saudi Arabia to allow Qatari nationals and foreign residents living in Qatar to have access to the important Muslim holy sites in the country.

Picture courtesy: Al Jazeera